Are you thinking about giving morning journaling a shot? Here are 40 morning journal prompts to explore and get you started!
Morning journaling is a great way to set the tone for the day with intention. Journaling is a simple yet powerful self-help tool that can turn your life around.
Morning journaling is the most sacred part of my morning spiritual practice. I have been journaling for years and it has done wonders for me. I am a more grateful, calmer, and happier version of myself when I stick to my morning journaling routine.
Whether you want to be more intentional in life, or you’re looking for a positive way to process emotions, building and sticking to a morning journaling routine may just be the best thing for you.
Let’s kickstart your morning journaling journey with these morning journal prompts, I’m so excited for you!
Morning Journal Prompts To Start Your Day Intentionally
- Morning Journal Prompts For Reflection
- Morning Gratitude Journaling Prompts
- Morning Journal Prompts For Intention Setting
- Morning Journal Prompts For Grounding
- Morning Journal Prompts For Productivity
- Morning Journal Prompts For Abundance
- Morning journal prompts For Emotional Health
- Morning journal prompts For Personal Growth
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What Are Morning Journal Prompts?
Morning journal prompts are prompts specifically for journaling in the morning, to start your day.
Journaling prompts are questions, sentences, or ideas that guide your writing. You may use prompts to express how you feel, reflect on things, gain clarity, and set intentions as well as goals.
Here are daily morning journal prompts that prepare you for the day, help you manage your emotions, and focus on the positives of life.
Let’s take a look at the morning journaling questions that you can mix and match to create a morning journaling routine that works for you!
Morning Journal Prompts To Start Your Day Intentionally
Here is the 40 best morning journal prompts to get you started. These prompts are grouped under morning journal topics that are great for kick-starting the day.
Morning Journal Prompts For Reflection
- What can you do for yourself today to make yourself feel amazing?
- What do you love about yourself?
- What would you do today to love yourself?
- What can you commit to doing daily for your personal development?
- What would you like to do more of?
Morning Gratitude Journal Prompts
- What do you love most about your life?
- What are 5 things in your home that you are grateful for?
- Share a valuable lesson that you learned recently.
- What part of your day is your favorite?
- What activity always brings you joy?
Morning Journal Prompts For Intention Setting
- What are my top 5 priorities today? List them out in order of priority.
- What areas of my life do I want to focus on this year?
- Describe your ideal day
- What are you most afraid of today? How can you overcome it?
- What are your most positive qualities?
Morning Journal Prompts For Grounding
- How am I feeling presently, on a scale of 1 to 10?
- What do I need to let go of to feel lighter?
- How can I be more intentional with my time and energy?
- When in the day do I feel most drained?
- What boundaries do I need to set with myself?
Morning Journal Prompts For Productivity
- What does productivity mean to me?
- When do I feel most productive?
- Is my daily routine allowing me to be my most productive self?
- How can I eliminate distractions during work hours?
- What does my schedule look like? Is it causing me to burn out or can I do more?
Morning Journal Prompts For Abundance
- What is one thing that you want for yourself? How do you plan to achieve it?
- List down 3 good things that have happened to you this week
- What makes you feel happy and alive?
- What beliefs do you have about abundance? Are these beliefs holding you back?
- Do you believe that your dreams and aspirations will happen someday?
Morning Journal Prompts For Emotional Health
- What emotions do you feel most often?
- What is one thing you can do for yourself to feel heard?
- How can you make life more peaceful?
- What coping skills do you use? Are they healthy?
- What does emotional support look like for you?
Morning Journal Prompts For Personal Growth
- What life skills would you like to explore or expand on?
- What daily habits make you feel great?
- Do you have a self-care routine?
- What about your life would you like to change?
- What changes can you make today to get you closer to your ideal life?
Why Should You Practice Journaling In The Morning?
Are your mornings always rushed and disarrayed? Well, mine were a while ago. I would spend so much time on my phone before I knew it, I was rushing to get organized and out the door. And I’d always feel like I forgot something or would be in a terrible mood.
Journaling first thing in the morning is a game-changer for me. It allows me to start my day in a calm and collected manner. I feel like I’m able to organize my thoughts, process my feelings and review my priorities, all before I start my day!
It is a habit that has seriously improved my life and morning routine. Morning journaling is extremely beneficial as it allows you to slow down, pause and reflect on yesterday whilst giving you the opportunity to set up a great day ahead.
What Should You Write In Your Morning Journal?
You can honestly write about anything in your morning journal. However, if you’re looking for a little direction, use the journaling prompts above or for any other reason that suits your needs at the moment. Here are some journaling ideas for you.
Practice Gratitude
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, people who practiced gratitude journaling weekly for 10 weeks experienced positive moods, more gratefulness, and better sleep. Now, isn’t that something?
Starting the day with gratitude will give you the opportunity to appreciate all that is good in your life and help you reframe any negative thoughts.
Also, positive psychology research has found that practicing gratitude is associated with greater happiness and better health and mindset.
Manage Your Emotions
Journaling is a great way to process feelings and keep track of your emotions.
Sometimes, it may be hard to speak to others about the way you feel. By keeping a journal, you will be allowing yourself to feel and observe your emotions healthily vs suppressing or neglecting them.
Think of it as a judgment-free space for you to fully express yourself.
Track Your Progress
If you are set on achieving your goals this year, you could use journaling as a tool to track your progress and keep you accountable.
A Harvard Business Study established that 3% of their MBA graduates who wrote down their goals, went on to earn ten times more than the remaining 97% put together.
Use your journal to set your goals, create an action plan, build habits, and whatever else that you think will get you one step closer to achieving your goals!
Plan Your Day
You can use your journal to plan out your day productively.
Instead of springing from one thought to another and feeling distracted, get focused with a journal. Sometimes you need to write things down and get out of your head to get things done.
You can create a to-do list, a brain dump, or even draw out a mindmap. Whatever works to put things into perspective.
How Can I Make Space For Daily Morning Journaling?
For many years I found it hard to establish a journaling routine that worked for me. I would start strong, investing in a beautiful journal and new stationery.
And for the first few days, I’d spend hours pouring myself onto its blank pages. I’d think, okay, this year I’m going to journal consistently. But then life happens and the journal just sits on my desk collecting dust.
And every year, I’d repeat this cycle until I decided I was going to make it work one way or another. So how can you create space in your mornings for a consistent morning journaling routine?
Explore Types of Journal Writing
There is no one way to have great journaling experiences. If you still haven’t found a journaling style that works for you, don’t panic. There are so many different journaling styles out there worth exploring.
Have A Structure
Having a journaling structure when you’re starting out will make the writing process easier, which encourages you to do it often. Using a fixed structure with your favorite prompts also allows you to be more productive and efficient during the session.
Keep Your Journaling Session Short
Mornings can get busy really fast depending on how much time you have before your work day starts. Starting small is the best way to turn journaling into a consistent habit. Give yourself 5 to 10 minutes each morning to reflect and start your day with a clearer picture.
Build It Into Your Morning
If you feel that it’s likely that you’ll forget to journal, pair it with a well-established habit. For example, I now love to journal while I have my morning coffee. I have always had a cup of coffee in the mornings since I was 16, a very consistent habit. Now I almost never have one without the other.
How Is Morning Journaling Different From Morning Pages?
A practice by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Morning Pages is a journaling style that requires you to free-write 3 pages first thing each morning. This exercise was created for artists to release the fears that hold them back and to find their way back to creativity.
This practice challenges you to show up and write even on days you don’t feel like writing. The purpose of this style of writing is to dig deeper and get rid of any obstacles in your way.
The Morning Pages isn’t applicable to just artists though. Anyone who finds themselves procrastinating, making excuses for themselves, or who is super critical of themselves should consider this style of journaling.
It will help you break free from these limiting patterns that are holding you back from thriving.
Digital Journal vs Paper Journal
As we move into the digital age, more of us are shifting to carrying out our daily tasks online. This includes journaling, digital journaling has been gaining popularity for a number of reasons. So let’s dissect this digital journal vs paper journal discussion here briefly.
I mean you’re probably thinking why would you write in a notebook when you can write on your iPad or smartphone? Well, writing in a physical notebook allows you to focus and write without any distractions. It is a way to take a break from the devices you already spend a lot of time on.
However, digital journals allow users to easily store, organize, and search for their entries. You can also easily upload images, and videos and customize your entries with minimal effort. And I find this to be the key selling point, a digital journal provides you with the option to encrypt your journal, keeping it safe from prying eyes.
I feel like both options have their pros and cons, what is important is that you use a platform that works best for you. I personally prefer to put pen to paper.
Tips To Create A Morning Journaling Routine
Here are a few tips to help you use the prompts in this post and to get you into a consistent morning journaling routine.
- All you need to get started is a notebook and a comfortable pen. I like to romanticize things and I love getting myself pretty notebooks and using colored pens to make the journaling process lively. If you’re not into using paper, you could also subscribe to a digital journaling app.
- It’s okay if you are unable to do it in the mornings some days, try to get to it later in the day.
- If you find it hard to fit journaling into your mornings, find a time that works for you. A great time to reflect on your journal is also in the evenings or right before bed.
- Don’t shy away from switching things up. It can get mundane if you’re using the same journaling structure daily. Whenever you feel like it, explore other journaling styles or explore new prompts.
Start your journaling journey intentionally with these morning journal prompts.
These prompts provide specified themes for you to write about. Choose the prompts that are most relevant to you and your current situation. Journaling is a great way to slow down and reflect on life.
You may also use your journal to make lists, express your thoughts and dissect your feelings. Making a habit of writing in your journal for just 5 minutes daily can give you clarity and help you manage stress.
Have a great time journaling!
